Is It Time For Boxing To Use Instant Replay?

[caldo2025]

I know that boxing is a tradition and has remained virtually unchanged for years but isn't it finally time that Boxing adopts INSTANT REPLAY? In a sport that has enough trouble with the subjective way it's scored and many awful, almost criminal decisions, wouldn't it be wise for them to use the technology now available to GET IT RIGHT?

When news came out about the PBC initially, it sounded a little USFL'ish, but I was excited to see some new changes to the sport. The changes have been subtle but refreshing so far but I was optimistic that Al Haymon would pay a little more attention to the fairness of competition. Boxing, in most countries, has ignored the use of instant replay completely and for the life of me, i can't understand it. Why not use the technology available to help a referee make the correct call? This isn't a sport like baseball where there's 162 games and you can get em' next time. A bad call in boxing could cost a boxer his livelihood and future earnings so why not use it as a backup for these referees?

IMO, boxing can utilize IR in a bunch of possible areas most notably, scoring knockdowns, Butt/Punch clarification, Personal Fouls etc... Boxing can't have any pause in the action like the NFL for obvious reasons but I still feel that Boxing can utilize IR effectively.

What do you think about IR in Boxing? In what other ways could Boxing use IR?

[KBB]

I've said this for many years that Boxing needs instant replay (not because of the Money vs Pacman fight) because I see that Refs do not always make the correct calls concerning knockdowns or other fouls.

[digzee]

Didn't help Martin Murray again Martinez in Argentina.

[punchoutsb]

I see that Refs do not always make the correct calls concerning knockdowns or other fouls.

This 1,000 times!

Instant replay is being used in almost every other major sport. Boxing should use it too, provided it isn't allowed to stall the action.

[Tony1244]

Yes.

[littlepug]

Aren't the mistakes part of the drama ?

[Pureist]

as I said on the other thread, replays should be used in all title fight to access the judges decisions and the refs performances and have some kind of points system, the better you are in the score tally the higher you climb in the bout importance

[Perseus]

I see that Refs do not always make the correct calls concerning knockdowns or other fouls.

This 1,000 times!

Instant replay is being used in almost every other major sport. Boxing should use it too, provided it isn't allowed to stall the action.

...and that is the problem.

Anybody with a IQ above dumbshit knows how boxing will screw up replay.

The "A" side fighter gets dropped clean, ref stops fight to check replay, ref takes a loooonnnng time ensuring said "A" side fighter has plenty of time to completely recover.

People like to say every other sport has replay.
Yeah so?

Boxing is also the only sport that goes from start of the event to the finish without numerous timeouts and delays.
Opening bell, 3 minutes later bell ends the round, one minute later bell starts the next round, once the event starts it goes non-stop until the final bell IF it gets that far.
Somebody other than the ref should be reviewing replays and have the authority to overturn the ruling.
If the rules for replay leave any possibility of causing the time clock to be stopped during OR between rounds then replay should not be allowed at all.

[punchoutsb]

I see that Refs do not always make the correct calls concerning knockdowns or other fouls.

This 1,000 times!

Instant replay is being used in almost every other major sport. Boxing should use it too, provided it isn't allowed to stall the action.

...and that is the problem.

Anybody with a IQ above dumbshit knows how boxing will screw up replay.

The "A" side fighter gets dropped clean, ref stops fight to check replay, ref takes a loooonnnng time ensuring said "A" side fighter has plenty of time to completely recover.

People like to say every other sport has replay.
Yeah so?

Boxing is also the only sport that goes from start of the event to the finish without numerous timeouts and delays.
Opening bell, 3 minutes later bell ends the round, one minute later bell starts the next round, once the event starts it goes non-stop until the final bell IF it gets that far.
Somebody other than the ref should be reviewing replays and have the authority to overturn the ruling.
If the rules for replay leave any possibility of causing the time clock to be stopped during OR between rounds then replay should not be allowed at all.

The ref definitely shouldn't be the one doing the replay. There should be an official in the booth that does it, and it should only be used to determine the cause of cuts or swelling, and to verify knockdowns. If a slip is ruled a knockdown, the booth overturns it and the judges are informed without the action ever stopping.

[punchoutsb]

People wanted more transparency regarding the official judges’ scorecards during fights, which led to the rather dreadful “open scoring” system, serving as an enormously painful reminder of the old adage… be careful for what you ask for, you just might get it!

For the life of me, I cannot see any situations that would justify temporarily halting a fight in order for a second referee of sorts to review an instant action replay.

I really don’t mind being proven wrong on this one, but I’d prefer another combat sport, such as the UFC, to adopt official instant replays to review incidents during fights, before this system is implemented into the sport of boxing.

If that's in regard to my idea of a booth review of sorts, the whole point of having a separate official for it is so that the action never stops. Reviews can be done while the fight is still going. If a cut that was ruled a punch by the ref is seen to have be caused by an elbow, everyone is informed at the start of the next round. If a knockdown was called a slip or a slip a knockdown, the same thing would happen and scores can be adjusted by judges accordingly. It wouldn't have to be rocket science, but the idiots running boxing would surely find a way to screw it up...just like the did with open scoring!

[sucracristo]

the scorecards can't be fixed with instant replay, but knockdowns, headbutts, cuts and eye injuries
caused by something other than the knuckle surface, and a few other things.
replay wouldn't help in boxing as much as other sports, though.
the scorecards should have 5 or so questions for each round with boxes to check off.
who came forward and initiated more exchanges? a b about the same
who threw more? a b about the same
who landed more? a b about the same
who landed the hardest punches? a b about the same
there aren't THAT many criteria to score a round.
leave a blank line if a judge wants to use some other criteria to score despite the above checked boxes

force the judges to justify their scores and if they are completely wrong about what they are watching
then you have basis to toss out their cards and pull their judging licenses.
bad refs are harder to police because it's impossible to ref all fights uniformly

[Bobbyptsd]

I want to say no, but for cuts, I don't know, perhaps something could be implemented. As far as knockdowns go, there's nothing saying scoring has to go a certain way when there's a knockdown, so there is supposed to be nuance there anyway.

Maybe if there is a cut and the referee isn't sure he could get a review. It wouldn't take an interminable time like in the NFL anyway. Someone would basically look and see if it was the head or a punch. Large majority of the time that's fairly obvious.

[caldo2025]

There can never be a pause in the action for any reason because boxers and trainers will exploit it like they do with the low blow rule or tape coming off the glove. The tape on the glove has always bothered me. Why doesn't each referee carry a little pair of scissors on them at all times? It's boggles my mind when i watch these fights and these trainers clearly pull the tape in the corner to try to buy their boxers time. The trainer pretends to look for the scissors for a minute and the boxer gets his wind back. Sorry, that's just aggravating but it does show one of rules in boxing that trainers and boxers exploit.

[gregor]

Overall I do not think it would be good idea. The only thing it could correct (I mean, without completely killing the show) would be a false KD, and there are not that many mistakes there.

[stevedoc]

no ........

[caldo2025]

There have been around 3 or 4 fights recently in which the boxer getting up from a knockdown waited until the last possible second to beat the count and the ref has called it a knockout in error. Saying that they didn't beat the count. IR can take that stupid BS out of realm of possibility. If Argentina used IR correctly in the Martinez/Murray fight, Murray wins that fight after clearly knocking Sergio down late in that fight. With IR, every knockdown should be reviewed behind the scenes, no delay in the action, like the NFL reviews all scoring plays. It's not an easy call and very controversial determining between and knockdown and a slip.

I'd give each trainer 1 or 2 challenges they can use. If they feel that a slip should have been a knockdown, they can challenge. Officials review while the action is going on and announces the results when it's determined and either add a point for KO or leave score alone. All the while, not delaying any action.

It's just a another resource to lean on to ensure the correct calls are being made inside the ring.

[man]

i see the point, but the situation is not that
bad to begin with. hardly any really bad
decisions in recent years on top level. the
downside of instant replay is that it provides
breathing time and especially if someone is
hurt it can make all the difference in the world
whether or not he gets these extra seconds
from a rule like instant replay. plus it is not
like everything is crystal clear with such clips
either. hell, people still argue over the basics
of the zapruda film ...

there are pros and cons. unless there is a series
of terrible calls, i'm against it.

[Perseus]

There have been around 3 or 4 fights recently in which the boxer getting up from a knockdown waited until the last possible second to beat the count and the ref has called it a knockout in error. Saying that they didn't beat the count. IR can take that stupid BS out of realm of possibility. If Argentina used IR correctly in the Martinez/Murray fight, Murray wins that fight after clearly knocking Sergio down late in that fight. With IR, every knockdown should be reviewed behind the scenes, no delay in the action, like the NFL reviews all scoring plays. It's not an easy call and very controversial determining between and knockdown and a slip.

I'd give each trainer 1 or 2 challenges they can use. If they feel that a slip should have been a knockdown, they can challenge. Officials review while the action is going on and announces the results when it's determined and either add a point for KO or leave score alone. All the while, not delaying any action.

It's just a another resource to lean on to ensure the correct calls are being made inside the ring.

So can the boxer.
Don't wait until the last possible second to stand up.
If the ref thinks the fight should be stopped it just doesn't matter if the fighter beats the count or not.

Replay absolutely should not be used to determine if a fight should be allowed to continue.

[The Great John L]

Instant replay is being used in almost every other major sport. Boxing should use it too, provided it isn't allowed to stall the action.

And herein lies the problem. I could easily see breaks between rounds being delayed for several minutes while they check whether or not a punch was landed after the bell, or whether or not fighter A rose before the count of 10 and f%cking up the fight. And like all other sports (at least US ones), the sponsors will love it because they’ll be able to show more commercials. Just watch replay in an NFL game and tell me that’s what you want in boxing?

I know that isn’t what anyone would want, but that’s what it would end up becoming. Regardless of “rules” that would say the replay can’t exceed 60 seconds; it would still go on for many painful minutes due to replay officials not being ready, time to explain something to the referee and corner men, etc. And then after we wait during a 5 minute delay, the officials still blow the call the same way it happens in other sports.

It could work if it was done properly, but if anything, boxing will be more inept at it than the major team sports, which have larger followings and a lot more financial backing.